See inside old Grand Rapids talking machine factory set to become a reception hall for weddings

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – With original maple floors, exposed joists, wooden support beams and steel-frame single-pane windows, a factory eyed for wedding receptions is looking much like it did 100 years ago. There will even be a phonograph like the ones manufactured there in the early 20th century.

Part of the 45,000-square-foot former home of the Cheyney Talking Machine Co. at 1600 Monroe Ave. NW would become a banquet hall under owners' plans up for city zoning review May 10. Part of the decor: an original talking machine bought on eBay.

“This is where (Forest Cheney) would manufacture that," said building owner Vic Hansen, who runs the Display Pack retail packaging business a bit to the south on Monroe. ”We’re going to try to bring it back to that state.”

Hansen is partnering with his wife, Lynn, and brother, Jon, to open The Cheney Place next month. The first wedding is scheduled in early June, pending receipt of a city permit. While much of the building will still be used by Display Pack and a tenant, two 9,000-square-foot, 300-person banquet halls are being prepared.

The main floor includes a polished concrete floor and an old vault for a coat room. A freight elevator will transport guests, accompanied by an elevator operator, to a second floor with maple wood floors. Steam pipes that run along the ceiling and period lighting are other industrial features.

“We’re not trying to hide the fact that we’re an old warehouse. We’ve emphasized that,” Lynn Hansen said. “That’s part of what is drawing the younger generation.”

The Hansens, who have four daughters, want to provide an alternative atmosphere to the church gymnasiums and college conference centers where some of their girls have had wedding receptions. Rental rates for The Cheney Place are from $2,000 to $3,000. No kitchen facilities or catering services are included.

Abby Dillinger hopes to have her July wedding at the factory with almost 300 guests. She plans a unique arrangement of tables with plenty of free space for guests to mingle.

“I feel like it’s an open palette for me,” said Dillinger, 28, of Rockford. “I can make it my own.”

An officer of the nearby Veterans of Foreign Wars Creston Memorial Post No. 3023 at a hearing last month questioned the need for another reception hall on North Monroe. But The Cheney Place “would not affect our banquet hall rental because we offer two different kinds of facilities,” said Ben Cardenas, post manager.

“We can assume that their hall will be a bit higher end,” he said. “Our facility is a more basic space for the budget conscious host.”

The 3,000-square-foot VFW banquet hall has room for 265 people and rents for $500, or $350 to post members and active duty service members. Cardenas said an event for 200 people with an open bar can be held for less than $1,200.